


This isn't jealousy

by escailyy



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Bran Stark Has Emotions, Character Study, Emotions, F/M, Hand Tyrion Lannister, Jealous Sansa Stark, Protective Arya Stark, Sansa Stark is Queen in the North, Sansa and Arya Talk, Three-Eyed Raven Bran Stark, no beta we die like Dothraki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:15:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27464800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/escailyy/pseuds/escailyy
Summary: "It will please you to know that the Lord Hand will be married soon, so the matter of the succession in the Westerlands will soon be resolved" Podric announced not missing a beat, pretending it was just another matter of state and that the Queen of the North had never had any personal interest in the news "King Bran wishes the North's approval upon Lord Tyrion's union with Lady Lysette Swann....""The hand is getting married?" Queen Sansa's cool facade remained impenetrable as always but Podric thought he heard her breath hitch.=======================================================================When Podric tells Sansa that Tyrion is getting married to some practically perfect Southern lady, Sansa feels distressed about the prospect, but why? Arya thinks she might be jealous, but for Sansa it might be more than that. She never thought she'd ever feel this way about Tyrion, they are friends, she should want him to be happy.But all Sansa wants is for Bran to end that stupid bethrotal.
Relationships: Tyrion Lannister & Sansa Stark, Tyrion Lannister/Sansa Stark
Comments: 9
Kudos: 96





	This isn't jealousy

**Author's Note:**

> I'm writing again! I always see Tyrion getting jealous over Sansa, but I wanted to try writing something where we get to see someone poking Sansa where it hurts too, and who better than King Bran.

Podric Payne enjoyed visiting Winterfell, his unique position as ambassador for the realm while remaining part of the Kingsguard gave him as much joy as any seat in the small council could. Two years after the end of the war and Westeros was being rebuilt nicely, Pod was rather proud of getting to see it and deliver glowing reports to the broken king and the ice queen.

Even if his enthusiastic perspective was supposed to represent the views of the average smallfolk in the six kingdoms, and by extension that of his King, Queen Sansa always took him at face value and treated him like one of their own.

"Although I'm somewhat unhappy to report that the Lord Warden of the Vale has suffered a setback in his health and sparked a general worry among his people over his possible successor" Pod read out from the parchment where he'd written all his noticed "Harry Hardying seems to be a strong competitor"

"And what do you think about that ser Podric?" Queen Sansa asked, as she always did, well aware that what Podric thought would also reach the ears of The Hand and influence his actions

"I think the Vale is fragile your Grace" Pod sighed honestly "they had one old ruler, then a mad one, and then a child who is always on the brink of death, they want stability"

The Queen hummed in agreement which usually meant that she would take his words into advisement but not tell Pod what she planned to do "And the Riverlands?"

"Thriving under the rule of the Tullys, Lord Edmure and Lady Roslin seem particularly hopeful for this season's harvest and send word of the construction of a faster route to the ports"

"That is good news, perhaps we should follow their example" Queen Sansa agreed

And so Pod continued page after page reciting what he'd seen from his stays with the wardens of Westeros, from those closest to the North moving further away to Highgarden, Dorne, and finally Casterly Rock.

"It will please you to know that the Lord Hand will be married soon, so the matter of the succession in the Westerlands will soon be resolved" Podric announced not missing a beat, pretending it was just another matter of state and that the Queen of the North had never had any personal interest in the news "King Bran wishes the North's approval upon Lord Tyrion's union with Lady Lysette Swann, as the Dornish monarchy has already given their support via the master of laws"

"The hand is getting married?" Queen Sansa's cool facade remained impenetrable as always but Podric thought he heard her breath hitch, taking one minute to compose her expression, Sansa’s façade never gave way to how jarring she found the news "I hadn't realized that my correspondence with Bran's council had lapsed so much, what can you tell me about the future Lady Lannister, Ser Podric?"

Pod thought that it wasn't her correspondence lacking, it was that nobody wanted to be the one to break the news to her on the excuse that King Bran hadn't made it official, same as they did with Lord Tyrion whenever they received unpleasant news regarding Queen Sansa.

"Well, she's a perfectly fine person your Grace, her family might not be so prominent in court, being that House Swann is only a minor house in the Stormlands, but ser Balon Swann, her brother, once spoke in favor of milord during the backlash that was Joffrey’s trial so her family is in favor of the match, King Bran considers her father a loyal supporter” Podric paused and smiled

“And what of the hand? Does Lord Tyrion seem to be in favor as well?” Queen Sansa spoke evenly, with a slight touch of warmth in her overall stoic demeanor, always so regal and calm. Pod liked that bout the Starks, their hearts were always set on the wellbeing of Westeros. Her interest in Lord Tyrion was kindness in itself and Pod couldn’t fault her for it. 

“Well, although because of my travels we haven’t spoken in some time, the last time I saw him, The lord Hand enjoyed the company of his future bride, Lady Lysette is happy to wed him you see, She was raised away from court and Lord Tyrion encourages her to learn as much as she can with his protection, so she seeks out his company constantly, and he makes her laugh" Pod mistook Sansa's frown for disapproval as he hastened to add “truly your Grace, she’s got a soft heart, she loves animals, small children and has a good head for figures, Lady Gilly considers her a friend, I'm sure she will make a good wife for Lord Tyrion and a prudent Lady of the Westerlands"

"Is she very beautiful then?" Sansa asked feigning a lack of interest "Cersei was the last Lannister Lady in the rock, the last thing they need is someone who reminds the Westerlands of her"

"Not at all, Lady Lysette is brown-haired for one, with brown eyes and a smaller body structure" which in Podric speak meant that the lady was less endowed in the chest and hips than the usual expectation, but on Sansa's continued frowning Pod kept rambling " not to say that Lady Lysette isn't beautiful because she is, she is quite pleasant to look at, but in the understated way of Stormlanders, her beauty is natural and artless, but lovely nonetheless, in fact as far as looks go, she could pass as a cousin of Lord Gendry or Commander Tarth easily"

Sansa didn't say anything for a while, deep in thought as she processed what had been saying "And my brother? did he give a specific reason on why the hand must marry now?" It was rare for Sansa to refer to King Bran as her brother when talking about the wellbeing of Westeros and Pod made a note to ponder about that for another day.

" king Bran seems to be under the impression that Lord Tyrion will be happier once he becomes a father and that marriage to Lady Lysette will be good for him" Pod dutifully answered "he did ask me to tell you he was making a statement"

"About what?" Sansa raised an eyebrow

"Lines of succession" Podric replied wondering what his cryptic King had meant by that, and what those words meant to Queen Sansa "strange isn't it?"

Sansa thought back to Arya's sudden arrival a moon ago "no, not in the least" inwardly cursing Bran, she refused to show weakness and continued her hearing with Pod and when it was over she calmly excused herself to her chambers, presumably to ponder over his reports.

But the unease at the news of Tyrion's marriage wouldn't leave her.

She shared the news with Arya over dinner, if only to have someone to discuss her ambivalent feelings with.

"it's only natural, in times of peace, the people need reassurance, and too many unmarried leaders in Westeros affects how we all conduct our politics" Sansa sounded unconvinced even to herself "many families have been torn apart, which is why families need to be formed, now more than ever"

"Bran doesn't ever do something with only one reason" her sister responded taking the conversation in a rather odd direction "I suppose, that if he started with the Lord of the Westerlands, then the Stormlands will be next" 

"He wouldn't be so scheming" Sansa sighed "that's why he's king, being practically omniscient, plotting wouldn't be his usual way of doing things"

"unless he saw something that would push him to it" Arya hummed thoughtfully "have you been contemplating marrying off anyone who might have prompted Bran to this?"

"I contemplate alliances between nobles ten times a day and change my mind just as often, it would hardly narrow the field to speculate on which possibility may have jolted Bran," Sansa said thinking about the many, many marriage alliances she was supposed to broker for the greater good of the North "not to mention fending off suitors of my own, because where there is an unattached monarch, there will always be a small council pressuring them to marry" but she had a vague idea.

"Think a bit harder then” Arya gave her a pointed look “Because for someone you only consider a friend and ally, you seem quite disturbed by his prospective marriage” the assassin raised an eyebrow “too disturbed one might say”

“Arya you are being ridiculous” Sansa huffed, disliking her sister’s mocking tone “You speak as if I were jealous”

Arya didn’t say anything to counter her statement instead she picked up her tray and left Sansa to her thoughts without a word.

Sansa thought about the matter all night, for some reason the announcement of Tyrion’s betrothal wouldn’t let her rest, but why?, he was her friend, they had practically committed treason together as far as Daenerys went and they corresponded easily for the sake of the realm, in fact, his letters were ones she had come to look forward to just because Tyrion never mistook where he stood with her, he was honest with her and she trusted him as much as she could trust a person outside her family. Shouldn’t she want him to be happy? It was true that they had been married once, but it would be hypocritical of Sansa to think she had anymore claim on Tyrion than he had on her based on that thin thread alone. She couldn’t understand herself.

“I am not jealous” Was the first thing Sansa said to Arya as they adjourned for breakfast in her chambers “Jealousy implies I have some sort of possessive feelings towards Bran’s Hand and I do not, I don’t own him, or his heart, he doesn’t owe me anything” there was a note of disappointment in her voice that Arya was wise not to comment on

“Then why not give your approval for the match right away? You said it yourself noble houses need to be rebuilt and house Lannister must start somewhere” Arya was distracted, Sansa could tell she was thinking about Storm’s End and the glowing reports Podric had delivered on his benevolent, yet unconventional leadership “ Are you worried that he might not be a good husband?” the ‘He IS a Lannister’ went unsaid but Sansa heard it all the same

“No, that’s the last thing he could ever be, Tyrion Lannister was born to be a good husband” Sansa surprised herself by saying “He will see to it that she feels comfortable and he will talk to her, listen to her opinions, entertain her with many stories of his life and travels…make her laugh every day” Sansa began pacing around the room trying to describe a man she knew so well and yet not much at all “Without his family to hinder him, he will spoil his wife as much as his gold allows if the lady enjoys reading he will make a library out of their home, if she mentions she likes horse-riding, he will design a special saddle for her, he will have artisans craft her unique jewelry and give it to her over dinner” Her voice was becoming agitated, and Arya noted how sad Sansa sounded the more she elaborated on her description “and if she’s as fond of him as Podric says she is if she shows him a bigger measure of kindness than most women…” Sansa felt wetness in her eyes, bringing her fingers to her cheeks and realizing they were tears “He will love her”

“Is that really so bad?” Arya asked, not understanding why Sansa looked so stricken all of the sudden “If he learns to love someone else?” She also asked for her own sake, Arya had grown since the last time they’d seen each other, she’d travelled, lived, and loved far from Sansa and Westeros, but still, a part of her remained the little sister who saw Sansa as the only person she could ask when it came to knowing how the hearts of Starks worked “Someone who isn’t you”

“I don’t know…but the mere idea of him looking at someone else the way he has always looked at me, makes me want to weep” Sansa admitted softly, turning to her sister she dried her eyes and changed the subject of the conversation smoothly “How would you feel if Bran chose a perfect bride for Gendry?”

“I would make him stop it at all costs” Arya growled and Sansa instinctively knew that Arya would soon be heading away from Winterfell in Storm’s End direction “I don’t like to think about what he does with other people, but if Bran ever tried..”

That morning Sansa came to a realization that Starks were inherently selfish creatures with their hearts, it shouldn’t have surprised her, given their history, and the fact that the four remaining members of their house had been the only ones to ever turn their backs on choosing love above the needs of others. But the selfish need to possess that which they considered was theirs still remained in the core of their blood, it was why Sansa held Winterfell, why Bran had a Kingdom and Arya a ship, Jon was perhaps the most selfless out of all of them and even he, was aware that somewhere in the distant skies, Drogon now belonged to him. Deep down they didn’t like giving up their things.

She thought about it as she read treaties and signs alliances, all morning past another meeting with her counselors and visit to the crypts. But try as she might she couldn’t bring herself to kill that resentful part of her that didn’t want to set Tyrion free to marry someone else.

It wasn’t fair to her, she knew she was Queen and she’d made the choice to never marry in order to keep her kingdom at peace, but why should the Gods condemn her to live a life without love and not content with that take Tyrion from her too? No, she wouldn’t allow it.

It would have been easier if Bran had chosen someone bland, or uninteresting, Sansa would have given her approval knowing his marriage was an act of convenience and duty, but Bran threatened to marry Tyrion off to someone he could fall in love with, and his love was something Sansa had always, deep down, considered hers and hers alone. Bodies were different, anybody could bed and wed, but love was rare. And Sansa tried not to think about what that feeling of possessive need meant for the future, she was too irritated to analyze herself that deeply yet.

So excusing herself for a walk in the godswood before she met with Podric for another audience, Sansa marched gracefully to the heart tree and drawing a thin line of blood from her hand she pressed her palm to the trunk of the magical tree defiantly “Cancel Tyrion’s betrothal, Bran, cancel it and I will stop considering marriage proposals for Howland Reed’s daughter” Sansa felt the magic of the heart tree carry her message to her omniscient brother, good, this was faster than a raven, but just for good measure she added “Or I’ll see to it that Meera finds herself married to the smartest, most able-bodied, virile and handsome husband I can find in the North”

 _“It shall be done as you wish”_ Bran’s soft reply whispered in her head in that omniscient mechanical tone of his, almost like his voice were traveling from the three up to her arm and into her ears.

“Thank you, brother”

 _“You should also know, that regardless of their father, all your children will have red hair”_ Bran added almost like an afterthought inside her head _“And the lines of succession must be secured”_

Sansa smiled, people might think that Bran was above political manipulation, but she had just discovered that like her, he too was vulnerable to someone he cared about in his own way.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Tyrion found King Bran in the hand’s tower late that night “Your Grace, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

The crippled boy King regarded him with a thoughtfully blank stare and ignored his question “I thought that you should know that I have decided to cancel any proposed marriage for you in the near future as your cousin Tyrek will soon be found in Dorne and I will instate him as your heir”

Tyrion breathed a sigh of relief, he hadn’t been particularly opposed to Lady Swann but after his last two marriages, he was more than happy to remain unattached and serving the king without the added weight of providing for a family and dealing with all the expectations that came with Casterly Rock.

Still, a thought niggled in the back of his mind, if King Bran knew where Tyrek was all this time, why allow Tyrion to go through the motions of a betrothal he didn’t want in the first place? “Understandable, but may I ask why break the engagement? Surely a married hand would still be a beneficial idea for the stability of your reign”

Bran was silent for a moment.

“Your grace?” Tyrion tried once again

“I canceled it because my sister, the Queen, asked me to” but before Tyrion could ask anymore on the subject Bran held up his hand “You will travel to the North soon in my name and you can talk to her then, Sansa is not unreasonable”

With another motion of his hand, Bran wheeled himself away from Tyrion, effectively ending the conversation and leaving his hand to wonder if Sansa Stark might care about him more than she let on.

Or if, perhaps, she might have been jealous.

**Author's Note:**

> Comment! please tell me what you think about this piece, I tried to keep them all as in character as possible.


End file.
